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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23862169">End Up With You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildcatlizzie/pseuds/wildcatlizzie'>wildcatlizzie</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mended Hearts [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Chris Evans (actor) - Fandom, Real Person Fiction</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Birthday, Birthday Sex, Cheese, Dance With Me, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Surprises, so much cheese</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 22:34:01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23862169</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildcatlizzie/pseuds/wildcatlizzie</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“What have I told you about waking me up?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>“You’ve said under no circumstances am I to ever wake a sleeping nurse,” he replied, collapsing down next to her and wrapping his arms around her. “Especially you.”</p><p>“Yet here we are,” she muttered, snuggling closer to him despite the frost in her voice.</p><p>“But it’s your birthday!” he cheered, shaking her lightly.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Chris Evans (Actor)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Mended Hearts [5]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1590325</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>End Up With You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>"Get home and we're locked out<br/>Middle of the backyard laying down<br/>Last thing that I'd worry 'bout<br/>'Cause all I wanna do is end up with you<br/>Yeah, all I wanna do is end up with you"</p><p>-- End Up With You, Carrie Underwood</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <i>December<br/>
Eight months since Abby’s death</i>
</p><p>“Katie,” Chris whispered, pressing a kiss to Kaitlyn’s temple. “Wake up, pretty girl.”</p><p>She groaned, burrowing farther under the blankets. </p><p>“No way,” he said, pulling the blankets away from her face. “Wake up, wake up!”</p><p>“Go away,” she moaned, pulling the blankets back up over her head.</p><p>Switching tactics, Chris climbed up onto the bed and began to jump. Kaitlyn flopped over onto her back and glared up at him, the blankets now tangled around her feet. </p><p>“What have I told you about waking me up?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.</p><p>“You’ve said under no circumstances am I to ever wake a sleeping nurse,” he replied, collapsing down next to her and wrapping his arms around her. “Especially you.”</p><p>“Yet here we are,” she muttered, snuggling closer to him despite the frost in her voice.</p><p>“But it’s your birthday!” he cheered, shaking her lightly.</p><p>“All the more reason to let me sleep,” she muttered, turning onto her side so she faced him, wrapping an arm around his waist, and tangling her legs with his.</p><p>“But I have plans,” he pouted, sticking out his bottom lip for effect even though she wasn’t looking at him.</p><p>“My plans include sleeping,” she countered. “I love you, but yesterday was a shift from hell. I want to sleep for approximately ten years.”</p><p>“Since it <i>is</i> your birthday, you win,” he acquiesced, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll let you sleep till noon, and then we go with my plans.”</p><p>“Deal,” she agreed, wrapping her arm tighter around him.</p><p>“I guess, I’m staying in bed until noon, too,” he shrugged, relaxing into her.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>—————</p>
</div>“C’mon, Katie, it’s half past twelve,” Chris said, throwing open the bedroom curtains. “I gave you an extra 30 minutes.”<p>Kaitlyn groaned in response.</p><p>“You don’t even have to get dressed,” he told her before pausing. “You can even take off clothes if you feel so inclined.”</p><p>Sighing, Kaitlyn sat up and rubbed at her eyes. “Let me wash my face and brush my teeth.”</p><p>“I’m not leaving until I see you moving,” he told her, crossing his arms in front of his chest.</p><p>“I’m moving,” she said, rolling her eyes and kicking off the blankets. She jumped when he swatted her butt as she passed him on her way into the bathroom.</p><p>“Just ensuring that you’re awake,” he said in response to her glare before leaving the bedroom.</p><p>Kaitlyn stifled a yawn as she headed downstairs, pulling a University of Arizona hoodie on.</p><p>She gasped when she reached the ground floor. “What is all this?” she asked, taking in the living room. </p><p>While she’d been asleep, Chris had apparently been busy. A blanket was spread out in the middle of the floor in front of the lit fireplace, a bottle of wine sat in a bucket of ice on the coffee table, and something in the kitchen smelled delicious.</p><p>“You have a very inconvenient birthday for sweeping romantic gestures,” he teased, walking over and taking her hand and pulling her over to sit with him. “I wanted to do this outside, but the weather had other ideas.” He gestured behind him to the sliding glass doors; heavy rain and clouds colored the backyard gray and dreary.</p><p>“I’ll file your complaint with my mother,” she replied. Kaitlyn sat down between his legs, leaning her back against his chest. “You’re warm,” she sighed happily, taking his hands in hers and wrapping his arms around her middle.</p><p>He chuckled, resting his chin on top of her head. “There’s also chili on the stove,” he said.</p><p>She sat upright and turned to face him. “Your mom’s recipe?” she asked, smiling.</p><p>He nodded, his own grin broadening.</p><p>“Why didn’t you lead with that?!” she exclaimed, jumping up and heading toward the kitchen. “And cornbread?!” her shout carried from the kitchen, making him laugh.</p><p>“I will admit to buying the cornbread,” he told her as she sat back down in front of him, facing him this time. “All I did was throw it in the oven, and Ma sent me what she called the ‘Chris proof’ recipe, hopefully it tastes OK.”</p><p>“You did good, baby,” she assured him, patting his stubbled cheek and pressing a quick kiss to his lips before turning back to her food. “Best birthday lunch ever.”</p><p>“Win!” he said, pumping his fist in triumph.</p><p>“I’m not saying this isn’t amazing, but this is your big birthday plan?” she asked, dunking a piece of cornbread into her bowl and popping it into her mouth.</p><p>“It’s part of it,” Chris replied, reaching out and wiping away a stray crumb of cornbread from the corner of her mouth.</p><p>She nipped at the pad of his thumb playfully before scooping up another spoonful of chili and offering it to him. “Part of it? That sounds promising,” she told him, her eyes transfixed as his tongue darted out along his bottom lip after she’d pulled the spoon back from his mouth.</p><p>She set her bowl on the table, and crawled over so that she knelt in front of him between his legs. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, running her fingernails through the hair at the nape of his neck. </p><p>“Any chance sex by the fire is part of it?” she murmured against his ear then trailed her lips down his neck.</p><p>“It wasn’t in the initial plan,” he admitted, his hands drifting up to her hips and pulling her closer. “But you are the birthday girl.”</p><p>“I am, aren’t I?” she gloated, looking up at him through her lashes before reaching down and pulling her hoodie back off.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>—————</p>
</div>“Come on, Katie!” Chris yelled up the stairs, checking his watch. “We’re gonna be late.”<p>“Alright, alright,” she said, appearing at the top of the stairs. “This would have gone faster if you’d told me where we’re going,” she admonished, fastening her watch into place when she joined him at the foot of the stairs.</p><p>“You look perfect,” he told her, his eyes traveling up from her knee high boots over blue jeans to the purple sweater that brought out the green of her eyes. He pressed his lips to hers in a lingering kiss before grabbing her hand and leading her to the garage.</p><p>Kaitlyn cringed as they backed out of the driveway and pulled onto the road. “It’s really coming down,” she commented about the rain. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”</p><p>“Of course I’m sure,” he replied, leaning over the steering wheel a bit to look at the sky in front of him. “We’ll be inside, no big deal.” </p><p>A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky in front of them followed by a roll of thunder.</p><p>“Uh huh,” Kaitlyn commented dryly, settling into her seat.</p><p>“Relax, everything will be fine,” he assured her, taking her hand in his and placing a quick kiss to the back of her hand.</p><p>“So, where are we going?” she asked, turning in her seat to face him.</p><p>“It’s still a surprise,” he reminded her, squeezing her hand, which was still wrapped in his.</p><p>Kaitlyn huffed impatiently, but couldn’t help the grin spreading across her face. “I hate surprises.”</p><p>“You hate not being in control,” he corrected her, laughing.</p><p>“That too,” she agreed, rolling her eyes. “You might actually be the worst.” </p><p>“Nah, you love me,” he said, glancing over at her and smiling.</p><p>“For some reason,” she teased. “Eyes on the road there, Casanova.”</p><p>“I love you, too,” he replied, looking back out ahead of him.</p><p>A few moments later they pulled into a parking lot she didn’t recognize.</p><p>“Now will you tell me where we are?” she asked, looking around for an identifying marker.</p><p>“L. A. Ballet’s rehearsal space,” he told her. “You said <i>The Nutcracker</i> is one of your favorite birthday traditions, but I thought I’d put a different spin on it.”</p><p>“What did you do?” she asked, narrowing her eyes at him.</p><p>“Let’s go find out!” Chris exclaimed, exiting the car and jogging over to the passenger side with an umbrella.</p><p>Kaitlyn got out of the car, and took Chris’s offered hand. She giggled despite herself as he led her toward the front doors.</p><p>A man stood there waiting for them. Chris shifted Kaitlyn’s hand from his right to left and extended his hand in greeting while Kaitlyn collapsed the umbrella.</p><p>“Mr. Anderson?” Chris asked by way of greeting. </p><p>“Please, call me Ib,” he corrected, shaking Chris’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Evans.”</p><p>“If you’re Ib, I’m certainly not Mr. Evans,” Chris told him smiling.</p><p>“Very well,” Ib agreed, turning his attention to Kaitlyn. “This must be the lovely young lady you mentioned on the phone.”</p><p>“Kate,” she introduced herself, shaking Ib’s offered hand. “I have no idea what’s going on,” she admitted, laughing nervously.</p><p>“I’m Ib Anderson,” he explained. “I’m the director for the Los Angeles Ballet. Welcome to our studio. Please follow me.”</p><p>Kaitlyn beamed at Chris as they turned and followed the director down the hall. Ib led them into a studio with floor to ceiling windows on one side of the room and full length mirrors on the other. A pianist sat in the corner playing while a handful of dancers rehearsed in the middle of the room.</p><p>“Ladies and gentlemen,” Ib called out, clapping his hands. The music stopped and the dancers turned to face their director. “We have a couple of guests with us this afternoon. Please welcome Kate and Chris.” </p><p>The dancers waved politely in Kaitlyn and Chris’s direction. Chris and Kaitlyn waved back, before taking seats along the mirrored wall. The dancers moved back into position, Ib counted them in, and the pianist began playing part of Tchaikovsky’s famous score. </p><p>Chris watched Kaitlyn out of the corner of his eye while she took in everything unfolding in front of her. The huge smile across her face and the look of wonder that lit up her eyes was enough to tell him this was a hit.</p><p>“Have I told you I wanted to be a ballerina when I was little?” she whispered, leaning toward him without taking her eyes off the dancers in front of her.</p><p>“Really?” he replied, turning to look at her. </p><p>“Mmhmm,” she hummed lightly in response, resting her head against his shoulder. “My turn out was horrible, I never would have made it to this level.”</p><p>“Think they could teach us a thing or two?” he asked, his eyes alight with mischief. </p><p>“Oh, no!” Kaitlyn protested, uncrossing her legs and planting both feet on the floor in an attempt to keep him from pulling her from her chair.</p><p>“It’ll be fun!” he cajoled, pulling her to her feet. By now their companions had stopped their rehearsal to watch the two of them.</p><p>Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, but bent over to unzip her boots and take them off, leaving her in her socks. Two dancers stood before them with their backs to them, facing the mirrors.</p><p>“We can walk you through a simple <i>adagio</i>,” the ballerina said, looking at them over her shoulder.</p><p>“This is gonna be great,” Chris said, clapping and rubbing his hands together before taking Kaitlyn’s hand in his and looking down at his feet to ensure they were in the same position as the <i>danseur</i>’s in front of him.</p><p>After several fumbled attempts, hysterical laughter, and one fall on her backside, Chris managed to support Kaitlyn through a pirouette and a simple lift.</p><p>Kaitlyn still clung to Chris’s shoulders as he set her back down on her feet and kissed the tip of her nose.</p><p>A clap of thunder shook the windows, making Kaitlyn yelp. The lights flickered before going out entirely.</p><p>“As much fun as this has been,” Ib began, gathering his notes from the rehearsal and herding his dancers out the door. “I must cut this short for everyone’s safety.”</p><p>“Of course,” Kaitlyn agreed, quickly pulling her boots back on. “Thank you so much for this opportunity,” she said, shaking Ib’s hand.</p><p>“Thank you for your time,” Chris echoed, shaking Ib’s hand, too. “I don’t think the professionals have anything to fear from us.”</p><p>“Indeed,” he replied, laughing lightly. ”Please come and see us again,” Ib smiled, waving as they all parted ways in the lobby.</p><p>Chris pushed out the door with his hip while opening the umbrella at the same time. Wrapping an arm around Kaitlyn, he pulled her close so they were both huddled under the umbrella. They ran back out to the car, the umbrella doing little to deter the thunderstorm swirling around them.</p><p>By the time they arrived back at Chris’s, the rain had eased from a raging storm that it had been to something more pleasant. </p><p>Walking into the kitchen, Kaitlyn flipped the light switch. “No power here, either,” she mumbled, beginning to pull candles down from the cupboard while Chris worked on starting another fire. </p><p>Kaitlyn walked into the living room and wrapped her arms around Chris’s waist from behind. “Today was wonderful,” she said softly, leaning her head against his shoulder.</p><p>“I’m glad you had a good day,” he said, squeezing her hands and pulling her around to his front. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and rested his chin on top of her head.</p><p>“Always have to be the big spoon,” she teased, cupping his hands in hers.</p><p>“It makes me feel useful,” he replied, holding her tighter.</p><p>She hummed in response, smiling despite herself. “Wait here,” she told him, wiggling out of his arms and running up the stairs. She came running back down the stairs, carrying her Bluetooth shower speaker, which had made its way to his house, along with a handful of her other belongings.</p><p>She paired the speaker with her phone and made her way out to the back porch with the speaker in hand. Setting the speaker on the outdoor table, she ran into the grass, twirling around in the rain, her arms raised toward the sky.</p><p>“What <i>are</i> you doing?” he asked, leaning against the door jamb of the sliding glass door that led out into the backyard.</p><p>“Dance with me!” she called to him as Don Henley’s voice floated through the speaker, crooning about how all she wanted to do was dance.</p><p>“You’re insane,” he laughed, watching her toss her hair around in time to the music.</p><p>“Come on, Swayze,” she taunted, she spun back in his direction where he stood on the porch, she grabbed his hand and yanked him into the rain with her. “Pay back’s a bitch.”</p><p>“I didn’t make you dance in the rain,” he pointed out, laughing along with her. “You’re going to catch pneumonia.”</p><p>“Not the way it works,” she told him, spinning around away from him.</p><p>Chris rolled his eyes, and got in the stance he’d learned earlier that day. “Lift,” he told her. “Let’s go!”</p><p>Kaitlyn threw her head back and laughed. She shook her head, amused, before taking a running leap into his arms. He spun around with her in his arms before lowering her down, her legs wrapping around his waist.</p><p>“You know none of the <i>stuff</i> matters, right?” she asked, smoothing his hair back from where the rain had matted it to his forehead.</p><p>“What do you mean?” he replied, his brow knitting tight in confusion.</p><p>“The gifts, the secret rehearsals,” she explained, rubbing her thumb along his brow to ease the tension there. “I don’t need fancy restaurants or anything else remotely related to dollar signs.”</p><p>“I enjoy doing those things for you,” he told her, walking back over to the shelter of the porch; their clothes were soaked through and he felt her shivering in his arms. </p><p>“I know,” she whispered, combing her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. “But I also would have been perfectly content spending the afternoon with you by the fire. Your time, your company, are the best things you’ve ever given me.”</p><p>She smiled to herself as the song changed, helping her express what she was trying to say. </p><p>“I don’t really care, ‘bout making any plans,” she sang along with the music, her lips brushing against the shell of his ear.</p><p>He swayed in time to the music with her still in his arms. “I’ve heard this one before,” he said softly, nuzzling against her neck and smiling against her skin. “You like to sing in the shower.”</p><p>“I didn’t realize I had an audience,” she murmured, wrinkling her nose as she looked up at him. Even with the cold air around them, a blush warmed her cheeks in embarrassment.</p><p>“Well,” he started, shrugging his shoulders, “when you start singing at the top of your lungs at five in the morning, it’s hard not to take notice.”</p><p>“Anything it takes to prepare for a 13 hour shift,” she explained, pressing a kiss to his lips. “Sorry I woke you; you should have told me I’m obnoxious first thing in the morning.”</p><p>“It’s more cute than obnoxious,” he told her, holding her tighter as she snuggled closer to him for warmth. “Come on, sweetheart, you’re officially shaking, let’s get you inside.”</p><p>He set her down on her feet, grabbed a couple of the candles that she lit earlier, and guided her up the stairs. Chris led her into the en suite and started the shower. The bathroom filled with steam the longer the water ran. Kaitlyn’s jeans and sweater hit the tile floor with a wet plop. Chris kissed her forehead before pushing her gently into the walk in shower.</p><p>“Shower, get warmed up,” he ordered, stepping back and removing his clothes. “Then I have one last surprise.”</p><p>“Chris,” she sighed, uncomfortable with how much he was spending on her.</p><p>“Kate,” he replied, mimicking her tone. His clothes joining hers in the puddle on the floor.</p><p>She rolled her eyes at him, stepping under the hot spray of the shower, the gas water heater was currently her favorite feature of his house. “Don’t make me sing the song again.”</p><p>“One more,” he promised, “and then I’m done,” he paused as he stepped into the shower with her. “At least until Christmas.”</p><p>Kaitlyn shoved him playfully, but he caught her hand where it rested against his chest. He brought his lips down to hers, and soon more than the hot water was easing the chill from their bones.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>—————</p>
</div>Kaitlyn walked into the bedroom, wrapped in a robe and towel drying her hair. Chris sat on the bed, his back resting against the headboard, flannel covered legs stretched out in front of him. Kaitlyn pulled one of Chris’s long sleeve t-shirts out of the dresser and exchanged the robe for it. Hanging the robe and towel in the bathroom, she flicked off the bathroom light, the power being restored just before the hot water had run out. She shuffled back into the bedroom and crawled into bed next to him. Burrowing under the covers, she closed her eyes, ready for sleep, but Chris prodded at her shoulder. She grunted in response.<p>“One more surprise, remember?” he reminded her.</p><p>She opened her eyes to find a small, flat box with a red bow tied around it resting on the palm of his hand. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and eyed the box warily.</p><p>“Just open it,” he told her, handing her the box.</p><p>Carefully, she untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. Nestled in some tissue paper sat a silver key. She looked up at him, eyes wide.</p><p>He smiled at her, taking the box from her hands and pulling out the key between his thumb and forefinger. “Move in with me?” he asked, handing the key back to her sans box.</p><p>“Now who’s crazy?” she asked, repeating his earlier assessment of her dancing in the rain. She laughed nervously, staring at the key in his hand. </p><p>He took her hand and pressed the key into it, closing her fingers around it. “I’m crazy about you,” he said earnestly.</p><p>Her eyes softened, and some of the tension in her shoulders released. “You told me not even two hours ago that I drive you nuts when I’m getting ready for work.”</p><p>“No, that’s not what I said,” he corrected, keeping her hand in his. “I said you wake me up, I never said it was unappreciated.”</p><p>“Are you sure about this?” she asked, looking up at him and smiling slightly; the tell he’d learned she had when she was about to agree.</p><p>“I love having you here when I come home,” he began, letting go of her hands to frame her face in his hands. “You’ve made this place feel more like home in the last several months than it’s been for years.”</p><p>“I love having someone to come home to also,” she admitted shyly, reaching up and covering his hands with her own.</p><p>“We can get you settled in after the new year,” he said, the wheels in his head beginning to turn. “What do you think?”</p><p>She paused for a moment, looking down at the outlines of his tattoos along his clavicles.</p><p>“I think,” she began before sighing heavily. “I think I better find some storage space.”</p><p>“Is that a yes?” he asked excitedly, sitting up on his knees.</p><p>“It is!” she exclaimed, as he wrapped her in his arms and pulled her to him.</p><p>He kissed her, quick yet hard, before resting his forehead against hers. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath; the citrus scent of her shampoo filling his senses.</p><p>“All I wanna do is end up with you,” he sang softly, making her pull him closer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ib Anderson is the director of Ballet Arizona, so it is a real name, not a typo. LOL.</p><p>Thanks for sticking with me and these crazy kids. I hope y'all are still enjoying discovering their stories as much as I am!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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